


pokerface.mp3

by orphan_account



Series: Marching Band AU [2]
Category: SHINee
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Marching Band, Genderfluid Kibum, Multi, Nonbinary Taemin, Other, awkward discussion about Taemin's feelings, mom friend Kim Gwiboon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-13
Updated: 2016-06-13
Packaged: 2018-07-14 21:27:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7191083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gwiboon just wants to have a conversation and not get attacked by a goose.</p>
            </blockquote>





	pokerface.mp3

**Author's Note:**

> so I guess this is going to be a series of works now. no idea how many there will be. we're in this for the long run now kids

There’s a goose staring at Gwiboon. She grips the chain link fence between her and it, shaking the metal to see if that might scare it away. All it really earns her is a glare from Minho, who’s propped up against the fence holding Jonghyun’s water bottle.

“If you leave it alone it won’t bother you,” he says.

Gwiboon doesn’t believe that for a second, but she’s too worn out to argue. The band had come back from lunch less than an hour ago, but the field was so hot that the director allowed an extra water break to make sure no one fainted.

It’s oppressively hot, even in the shade, and it’s getting to all of them. Minho’s nose is an uncomfortable shade of red, and Gwiboon can feel her own cheeks already starting to peel. Jonghyun’s curled up on top of Jinki’s duffel bag, napping, oblivious to the fact his water is being stolen, and even Taemin’s sprawled out in the grass with their eyes closed.

“Taemin!”

The shout startles both Gwiboon and the goose. She turns to see Jinki running across the field towards their group. He had disappeared somewhere to talk with the other section leaders, and now he’s waving a packet of papers in Taemin’s direction. Taemin, who must have fallen asleep at some point, lies motionless as Jinki approaches, hovering over them.

Jinki drops the papers onto Taemin’s face and Taemin sits up with a start. “What the—“

“New drill charts,” Jinki says, moving to sit cross-legged between Taemin and Gwiboon. “That you were supposed to pick up like an hour ago.”

Taemin yawns, flipping through the packet. “Drill charts for what?”

“We’re doing pregame after this break,” Jinki says. 

Taemin looks up at Jinki suspiciously. “Pregame? Like…?” they ask, miming holding a drink in one hand.

Minho shouts with laughter. “Yeah, it’s like a freshman initiation,” Gwiboon says over him. “You have to get drunk and march the whole show.”

“Gwiboon, shut up,” Jinki says. “It’s the show we do before the game starts, you know?” he asks, turning back to Taemin.

Taemin looks at him blankly. “I didn’t know we did that.”

“We make that big tunnel out of two rows and all the players run through it,” Minho says. “You’ve never seen that?”

“No.” Taemin pauses. “That sounds dangerous.”

“Yeah, that’s the best part.”

“Being tackled by a football player doesn’t sound – “

“ _Anyway_ ,” Jinki says, reaching between the two of them and tapping Taemin’s drill chart.  “Make sure you know where your starting position is before we get back on the field.”

Gwiboon sighs, thinking back to her own drill chart that she still hasn’t opened. She’ll be fine. She always ends up next to Minho, anyway, so as long as he knows where he’s going she can figure it out.

Taemin looks down at the first page of the packet for a long moment, studying the tiny numbers that make up the formation. “How do I—oh, wait,” they say, raising their head again with a look of growing horror. “Oh, shit.”

“You forgot your number again,” Gwiboon says. It’s not a question. Taemin’s forgotten their number almost every day this week.

Taemin looks imploringly at Jinki, and he sighs. “The list is over by the press box. You can go look at it yourself.”

“Please go look for me?” Taemin asks. “If I keep having to go check I’m going to get in trouble with the director.”

Taemin’s looking up at Jinki with wide eyes, but he seems determined not to crack. “Taemin, if you just wrote down your number—“

“I’ll go look,” Jonghyun says, rolling over onto his side to face them.

“I thought you were napping,” Minho says, and Gwiboon watches with a smirk as he hastily shoves Jonghyun’s water bottle back into his bookbag.

“I was.” Jonghyun pushes himself up on his elbows and grabs his water bottle. “But I have to get a drill chart anyway.” He opens the cap on the bottle and pours the remaining ice into his mouth, apparently unaware that there was once water in it. Behind him, Minho’s putting a lot of effort into not laughing.

Jonghyun sits up more fully and rubs at his face, smothering a yawn. He doesn’t look like he’s slept much at all, and Gwiboon feels a pang of sympathy at the dark bruises under his eyes. He still grins at Taemin, though, who’s looking up at him like he just saved their life.

“Thank you so much,” they say as Jonghyun stands.

“Only cause you’re cute,” Jonghyun says, reaching out to mess up Taemin’s bangs, and Gwiboon doesn’t miss the way their entire face flushes at the compliment. Jonghyun just smiles.

“Wait,” Minho says, getting to his feet as well. “I have to get a chart too.” He tosses the flip folder he was holding in Gwiboon’s direction. “Watch that for me?”

Gwiboon smacks the folder into the grass. “Fine.” Minho rolls his eyes at her as he, Jonghyun, and Jinki head off across the grass.

Gwiboon glances over at Taemin. Now it’s just her, them, and the goose, who hisses again for good measure when Gwiboon leans back against the fence.

There’s a long moment of silence between them, during which Gwiboon mostly focuses on the goose. Taemin’s been to every one of their group dinners in the last week, and Gwiboon likes to think they’re becoming friends, if the way they join in with her making fun of Minho is anything to go by. But that doesn’t change the fact that she doesn’t spend a lot of time one-on-one with them, and she definitely doesn’t know how to say any of what she wants to.

“Jonghyun looks like he’s dying,” Taemin says finally.

Gwiboon laughs. “He usually looks like that.”

“Is he okay?”

“He’s taking a practice SAT in a couple weeks so he’s probably just been up studying for that.” Gwiboon glances over at Taemin, brow furrowed. “Did he not complain about that to you yet?”

Taemin shrugs, not meeting Gwiboon’s eyes. “He doesn’t really talk about school.”

Understandable. Jonghyun hates school, and Jinki probably told him not to crush Taemin’s spirit before they even started high school. “So you three haven’t…” Gwiboon pauses long enough that Taemin glances over at her. “You haven’t gone out with them yet, have you?”

“Oh.” Taemin looks down at their own hands. “Uh, no. Not yet. And Jinki’s always busy with band stuff, so…”

Gwiboon nods, pauses again, watches Taemin pick at the grass next to their knee. “Listen,” she says finally, turning away from where the goose is picking at the grass. “You know if you’re really nervous about starting anything with them, you don’t have to.”

A long pause, during which Taemin looks absolutely everywhere that isn’t at Gwiboon. “I’m not that nervous,” they finally say.

Gwiboon almost laughs at them. “Okay, but…all I’m saying is, like,” god dammit, this shouldn’t be that hard, “I mean, I know having a crush on an upperclassmen can be hard, because they’re older? Like, Jinki’s going to start applying for colleges this year, and Jonghyun’s been in like ten thousand relationships, and that’s probably kind of intimidating?”

“Ten thousand relationships,” Taemin repeats, and they still won’t meet Gwiboon’s eyes but there’s a smirk on their face.

“Not really, but you know what I mean,” Gwiboon says, fighting back her own smile. “And I’m being serious. If you feel like they’re taking this too fast with you or if you want something different than what they want you can say something?” She shrugs; talking to a freshman should not be this hard, but it’s so difficult to tell whether or not Taemin’s actually listening or if any of this is reaching them.

Taemin’s brow furrows, and Gwiboon wonders what they’re thinking, what they’re assuming. Hopefully nothing bad, but she’s not really in the mood to traipse through her dating history with this kid.

“I’m not telling you this because of Jonghyun or Jinki specifically,” she says instead. “Like, I know they’re both really good people. But boys can be idiots, you know? Just…don’t be afraid to decide stuff for yourself.”

Taemin looks up at Gwiboon. They’re still biting their lip in what she assumes is embarrassment, but for the first time they’re not looking at her like they’re afraid of her.

“I think I’ll be okay,” they say finally. “Like…just because I’m nervous about going on a date doesn’t mean I don’t still wanna do it.”

“I thought you weren’t nervous,” Gwiboon says. Taemin makes a face at her, but she just smirks back at them, so they toss some of their ripped up grass onto her leggings. “Wow, I was kidding, you nerd!” Honestly, why even bother trying to help freshmen? She’s going to have blades of grass stuck to her thighs all day now.

Taemin drops their gaze again and rips up another handful of grass. “Thank you, though,” they say quietly, and Gwiboon feels her face light up in spite of herself.

“Yeah, well, I feel like I’m obligated to give you advice,” Gwiboon says, nudging their shoulder. “You’re basically reliving my freshman year.”

Taemin raises an eyebrow. “Did you have a crush on one of them too?”

Gwiboon lets her hand fall. “That’s not the point.”

“Jonghyun or Jinki?”

“I said that’s not the point! Holy shit!” Gwiboon shouts, rattling the fence as she twists to grab another handful of grass and throw it at Taemin’s face.

Something bangs against the fence, and Gwiboon screams again, launching herself forward before the goose can get a hold of her. It flaps its wings menacingly at her, snapping at the fence with its beak again for good measure. 

Taemin bursts out laughing. Gwiboon buries her face in the grass and wonders if feeding Taemin to the goose might appease it.

**Author's Note:**

> this one isn't that good so if you don't want to comment i understand but if you did enjoy please do
> 
> also a serious question: do polyam relationships go in "multi" or "other"


End file.
